Psychopath Vs. Sociopath: 4 Key Differences You Must Know

Contrary to the common belief, a sociopath is not the same as a psychopath. People don’t normally address the difference because we’ve been brought up to believe both terms mean “crazy”. The truth is, sociopathy and psychopathy are considered as anti-social personality disorders, and there are a lot of diferences that allow us to distinguish between a psychopath and a sociopath.

What are the characteristics of a Sociopath?

The most important thing to understand about sociopathy is that it’s acquired. This form of personality disorder is usually dependent on the sort of environment a person is brought up in. sociopathy and psychopathy are both built up on a common imbalanced foundation. Sociopaths, however, manifest this imbalance quite differently; unlike psychopaths, sociopaths are known to be constantly nervous and on edge. They tend to seclude themselves from society, and when faced with any sort of confrontation, they respond aggressively, yet spontaneously and without thought.

We normally associate sociopaths with murder without batting a lash, but is a sociopath really that out of control? Well, yes, but not like you would think. Sociopaths mainly differ from psychopaths due to their present, yet vague, conscious sense; they recognize their behavior as wrong or criminal, but that doesn’t really affect their decisions. Moreover, due to their irritable nature, sociopaths are subjects to all sorts of dangerous outburst. Whether they are murderous or not can be a respective prospect, but a general sense of imbalance is certain.

What are the Characteristics of a Psychopath?

The core difference between sociopathy and psychopathy is that psychopathy is a biological disorder while Sociopaths are characterized to lack a certain neurological foundation allowing them absolutely no sense of empathy or morality.

Unlike sociopaths, psychopaths are way more manipulative and condescending; they usually hide behind intricately woven charming characters that leave you little space for speculation.

Psychopaths are calm under pressure, and they always calculate their next step allowing for a more dangerous criminal record. Simply, they cross the line. A sociopath generally looks for an easy way out of a situation he believes to be uncomfortable. He/she might even commit murder, but they remain nervous and shaky. A psychopath is rather cold-blooded, and he/she might take extreme measures in order to satisfy an instinctive desire to hurt.

The Differences Between a Sociopath and a Psychopath

Here are the differences between a sociopath and a psychopath put in a sociopath vs. psychopath comparison table:

Sociopath

Psychopath

Sociopathy is an acquired anti-social personality disorder.

Psychopathy is a genetic/biological personality disorder.

Sociopaths are usually nervous and on edge (despite their occasional charming demeanor).

Psychopaths are con-artists, and they are usually calm.

Crimes committed by sociopaths are known to be haphazard and sloppy.

Crimes committed by psychopaths are meticulously planned out.

Sociopaths have a conscious.

Psychopaths have no conscious.

Is there any common ground?

So after reading the differences between sociopaths and psychopaths, don’t thing they don’t have any ground. In the end, both sociopaths and psychopaths lack the common sense of empathy and they are generally unable to relate with balanced human emotions. They can’t understand how people feel. They can also be highly dangerous and unpredictable!